All You Know about Android 4.4 KitKat

The Main Features of Android KitKat

New Caller ID

The new phone app now automatically priorities the users' contacts based on the people they talk to the most.

User Interface

In this version, it has a translucent menu bar located at the bottom. The OS offers full-screen wallpapers with preview and the wallpapers now extend through the notification tray as well, in addition to the navigation buttons. 

The lock-screen widgets for Music and Movies apps now also offer the option to seek and jump to a specific part. The Quick Settings notifications menu toggles also add a 'location settings' toggle. A new Emotion keyboard for emoticons has also been included in the native Google Keyboard

Google Now Integration

Android 4.4 KitKat allowing users to just say "OK Google" when in the Home screen to launch the Google Now assistant and do a voice search, send a text, get directions or even play a song. Google Now can be launched by simply swiping to the left instead of swiping from the bottom, at least on the Nexus 5.

Chrome Web View

Android apps that feature web content now use Chrome to render web components accurately and quickly. Chromium WebView supports HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. It supports most of the HTML5 features available in Chrome for Android 30

Cloud Printing

Users will now be able to print photos, documents, and web pages from their phone or tablet through any printer connected to Google Cloud Print. according to Google. "Users can discover available printers, change paper sizes, choose specific pages to print, and print almost any kind of document, image, or file," mentions Google in the OS release notes

Enhanced support for Connectivity Option

Android 4.4 also brings support for the Message Access Profile (MAP) enabling Bluetooth-enabled cars to exchange messages with Android devices. It also supports Bluetooth HID over GATT (HOGP) offering apps a low-latency link with low-power peripheral devices such as mice, joysticks, and keyboards. Android 4.4 also introduces platform support for built-in IR blasters, and a new API and system service for developers to build apps that can leverage them. This means the IR Blaster, present in the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One will now be usable. Android 4.4 also supports Wi-Fi Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS), a way to stream media and other data faster between devices already on the same Wi-Fi network.

Step Detector, Counter

Android 4.4 brings platform support for two new composite sensors Step detector and Step counter allowing users to track steps when  they're walking, running, or climbing stairs, via apps and hardware that offer the feature. The Nexus 5 offers the two sensors and Google says it's working with its chipset partners to bring them to new devices as soon as possible

Better Accessibility 

Android 4.4 offers system-wide preferences for 'closed captioning'. Apps that offer video can access the user's captioning settings and adjust the display of the captions as per the user's preferences.

Screen Recording

Android 4.4 offers support for screen recording, and includes a screen recording utility that lets users capture video as they use the device and store it as an MP4 file. This also allows developers, reviewers and end-users to create walkthroughs and tutorials for apps, testing materials, and marketing videos, among others. So, these were the most exciting features of the new OS. Google's Nexus 5 is already being shipped with Android 4.4, KitKat, and the OS will soon be available on the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10, the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Play edition devices in the coming weeks.